OBJECTIVE To study the outcome of pregnancy in women with artificial heart valves treated in major European centres, and to compare the safety and efficacy of different anticoagulant regimens and of mechanical and bioprosthetic valves. DESIGN Retrospective study. METHOD The information was obtained by questionnaire sent to all major cardiac centres in Europe sending one cardiologist from ea...

BACKGROUND Pregnant women with a mechanical heart valve (MHV) are at a heightened risk of a thrombotic event, and their absolute need for adequate anticoagulation puts them at considerable risk of bleeding and, with some anticoagulants, fetotoxicity. METHODS AND RESULTS Within the prospective, observational, contemporary, worldwide Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac disease (ROPAC), we describ...

1. Artificial heart valves have been in use for over five decades to replace diseased heart valves. Since the first heart valve replacement performed with a caged-ball valve, more than 50 valve designs have been developed, differing principally in valve geometry, number of leaflets and material. To date, all artificial heart valves are plagued with complications associated with haemolysis, coag...

There are very few studies on valvular heart disease in women. There is a sex influence in the prevalence of some types of valve disease: it is well known that rheumatic mitral stenosis is very common in women but degenerative valve disease affects both sexes in a similar way. In degenerative aortic stenosis several physiopathological differences have been reported in women: the amount of calci...

AIM The purpose of this study is to determine the outcome and complications of pregnancy in women with pulmonary autograft valve replacement for aortic valve disease. METHODS AND RESULTS The records of all women who had undergone pulmonary autograft valve replacement at the National Heart Hospital (now Royal Brompton Hospital) since 1968 were reviewed. From 1968 to 1993, 27 hospital survivors...

coagulants in acute myocardial infarction. Lancet 2: 327-331, 1961 103. Lieberman A, Hass WK, Pinto R et al: Intracranial hemorrhage and infarction in anticoagulated patients with prosthetic heart valves. Stroke 9: 18-24, 1978 104. Nichol ES, Keyes JN, Borg JF et al: Long-term anticoagulant therapy in coronary atherosclerosis. Am Heart J 55: 142-152, 1958 105. Wasserman AJ, Guttman LA, Yoe KB: ...

PURPOSE Prosthetic heart valve thrombosis occurring during pregnancy is a life-threatening complication. Surgical treatment requires clot removal under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and carries a high mortality. We describe the successful use of thrombolytic therapy for recurrent thrombosed valve prosthesis in a pregnant patient. CLINICAL FEATURES A 32-yr-old patient whose pregnancy was compli...

Mitral valve/surgery; thrombosis; bioprosthesis. (prosthesis M-25, BSA = 1,672 m2) and 6 mmHg (prosthesis M-27, BSA = 1,632 m2), respectively. Neither of the patients was receiving anticoagulants. The case of the youngest patient was more dramatic, because she was admitted to the emergency room with history suggesting paroxysmal acute atrial fibrillation and neurological signs of embolization 1...

AIM To define therapeutic ways to manage obstetrics at an optimal level for a patient carrying a mechanical prosthetic heart valve. METHOD From a review of literature and documented cases, we propose an obstetrical and cardiological management scheme for pregnant patients carrying a mechanical prosthetic heart valve. We deal successively with the preventive (anticoagulation) and curative trea...